


The Beauty Inside

by Innocent_Flames



Category: Shugo Chara!
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-01-05 05:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1090282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innocent_Flames/pseuds/Innocent_Flames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ikuto is cursed to forever take the shape of his cruel beastly heart unless he can truly love another and have their love returned back to him. Will the girl he found wounded in the woods be able to save him? Or will he forever be the beast he portrays?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misery

The night was cold as rain fell against the land, washing out all the dirt and mess from the castle walls. The loud crash of thunder was only a small whimper inside the large palace. The castle sat on a large hill surrounded by forest and other mountain ranges, shielding it from the village a few miles away. It was a rather large estate with different rooms and hallways spiraling together that could easily confuse anyone. Anyone except Ikuto, who had been living here since he was born. He was a tall and elegant man with sharp features. His hair was in a constant state of disarray. His long, dark blue hair fell along the sides of his face just covering his midnight eyes, the same shade as his hair.

Ikuto was currently reading in his favorite chair next to the fire. The rain and thunder was the only sound in the quiet castle. Sure, it was large and could easily fit 100 guests comfortably, but Ikuto was a very quiet and serious person, who lived alone with 20 servants, who were all sleeping by now, to tend to anything he needed. He’d rather be alone with no one to try his patience.

A soft knock came across the room. Ikuto only ignored it, thinking it would go away sooner or later. But as the knocking got louder and harder to ignore, he finally had enough of it. Placing a leather strap on the sentence he last finished, closing the book and setting it down on the table beside him. He shot up from his char and stomped towards the large double doors where the annoying noise was coming from. With a scowl on his face, he wretched one of the doors open and looked down at a small, hunched over, figure covered by a dark cloak stood with her hands clasped together.

When the figure looked up Ikuto saw it was a rather old woman with wrinkles and dark spots along her skin. Her eyes were a faded shade of purple, the hair that wasn’t covered by her cloak was white and wiry.

“What?!” Ikuto barked at the old woman. It was late, cold, and he had been interrupted just as he was getting to the good part of the book. He was not happy.

“Good evening young man. It’s rather cold tonight isn’t it?” The woman smiled up at him.

“Yes, it is. Now what do you want?” Ikuto scowled at the old woman. Not only was she trying his patience but she was keeping him from his favorite book and he was starting to get cold in the winter weather.

“You see young man, I have been traveling for a long time and these old joints of mine are starting to tire out. Could you possibly let me stay the night, just till the rain stops?” The old woman asked, smile still in place.

Normally he wouldn’t mind sheltering one or two people if the weather was bad, but this woman was on his last nerve. And he had no patience for these kinds of things. He was spoiled as a kid and could get anything he wanted just by asking. “No you may not.” He barked. “You have tried my patience long enough. If you have nothing to offer to me for your stay, then leave.” He was just about to close the door when the woman spoke again.

“Oh, but, I do have something to trade for.” The woman stated. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a long-stemmed rose. Thorns lingered here and there along the stem of the rose. But what caught Ikuto’s eye were the petals. They were a dark blue, darkest near the inside and lighter as it reached the outside rim of the petal. “A genuine blue rose. This flower is very rare and is said to bring good luck.” The old woman’s smile stretched wider as she raised it so Ikuto could see it clearer. “I doubt you’ve ever seen one in person, young man.”

The old woman was right, he hadn’t. He’d read about them in many books and they were, indeed, very rare. Some people doubted they existed, but here one was right in front of him. But even the rare flower couldn’t calm Ikuto’s rage. “You think a simple flower can count as payment for your stay?! You are sadly mistaken. Leave at once, before you dirty my property anymore!” Ikuto shouted. He had had enough. The flower was rare and he did want it, but he grew tired of this woman.

“It seems I cannot change your mind, can I?” The old woman sneered, her smile turning into a smirk.

“Wha-” Ikuto was cut off by a bright light that shined from the old woman. Her features softened and her body thinned and turned from a hunched old woman to a beautiful enchantress. Her pale lavender eyes darkened to a deep purple. Her white hair gained the color of gold as it grew to a length past her waist, held up in two pigtails. Her ratty, old cloak melted into a long black dress with dark purple ruffles and sequence.

_“Selfish and pampered you were,_

_With a heart made of bitterness._

_A prince you say you are,_

_But a beast is all I see._

_Become a man worthy of love,_

_A prince worthy of the throne._

_Become a beast until true loves breaks_

_This curse I place upon thee.”_

And with a snap of her fingers the spell was complete. Ikuto’s skin burned as he fell to his knees. His hands on either side of his head as his eye-sight began to fade. His conciseness was wavering, and the last thing he heard was the enchantress’s laugh as she laid the flower and a mirror next to his numb body.

“This rose is truly an enchanted rose, which will bloom until your twenty-first year. If you can learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal falls the spell will be broken and you will return to your former self. If not, you will be domed to remain a beast for the rest of your life. All who live in this castle will be doomed to your same fate and will never be free from its confines if you do not learn your lesson.” A dark chuckle was heard as she vanished into the distance. “Good luck.”

Then everything turned black.


	2. The Strange Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet some of you think I died. Well I did. This is my deceased soul. I'm haunting my laptop and posting from the spirit world.

Birds chirped softly as the sun slowly made its way over the many mountains that covered the faraway land. The autumn breeze pushed the stray leaves past the forest and onto the muddy road leading to town. It would soon be winter and the trees were already bare and ready for the next season.

Off on the outskirts of the village, nestled up near a small hill and river, was a modest cottage with a small water-wheel and a well. There, Tsumugu and his only daughter, Amu took up their residence. The two lived alone in their cottage, away from the rest of the town, for many reasons.

The first was that Tsumugu was a writer that stretched the boundary of insanity. His stories explored the human heart in ways one wouldn’t normally go about. It wasn’t creepy; in fact, they were very relatable in a way. His stories were most often about the sins that one could commit, the anguish one could feel, and actions that everyone has always thought about, but never truly committed to for the reason of it being ‘wrong’ or ‘crazy’. For this he was often shunned by the townspeople, calling him ‘unusual’ or ‘distraught’. Whenever he wrote his face was always expressionless, letting all of it melt off of him so he could scribe it onto paper to create his newest ‘masterpiece’.

He hadn’t always been like this. He used to write wonderful stories about adventures, love, and even simple childhood bliss. But after a fateful accident that caused the loss of his wife and youngest daughter, he… _changed_. He would shut himself away in his office for days on end, writing, with the occasional noise of furniture breaking and books being thrown at the door. Because of his isolation Amu would often do the housework and cooking, leaving a tray of food for her father. Even the farmwork was left to her. She would go out and pick whatever ripe vegetables and fruit were there, feed the chickens and cows, collect eggs and milk and then sell them the next day in town to some merchant stalls that she had befriended. Though she would rather stay out of the town if she could.

Amu was a bit strange herself, too. She never really talked to anyone, besides the usual ‘hello’s and ‘goodbye’s. Amu spent most of her time at the house, taking care of the animals and cleaning, what little time she had left she would use to read the glorious amounts of books she had stacked up over the years. Some were her father’s old stories and others were the books that she would borrow from a book store she would often visit. It wasn’t that she was unfriendly or that she was trying to avoid them, she just didn’t know how to act around them. She would freeze up and act uninterested any time someone tried to talk to her. She was so used to her father’s silence that she got used to living with little to no human contact.

The days that she had enough eggs or milk to sell she would walk to town, avoiding as many people she could, head straight to the market, head down to the bookstore, get a new book to read, come back and spend most of her day either reading or cleaning around the house and farm. There were only a few people she trusted enough to talk to.

One of them was Kukai. He was the town’s errand boy. Whatever job you wanted done, he could do it. For the right price, of course. He would often help Amu around the farm, putting up posts for a broken fence and what-not. He was like a big brother to her, always there for her and _always_ having a smile on his face. Her other ‘big brother’ was Nagihiko, also known as Nagi. He would often take her milk and sell it at his stall along with flower, wheat, rice, and other grains. Rima, her only girl-friend, would sell her eggs at her stall along with a variety of vegetables and fruits. The last being the clerk at the bookstore who she would often borrow books from. She had just finished the latest edition to a series that she has been quite caught up in and was on her way to return it and see if she could get the next issue.

Quickly pacing down the steps and onto the main road she headed for the town, already in sight. Thinking about the latest edition held her attention at the moment. The main female protagonist was separated from the main male protagonist and had to figure out the cure to a spreading disease before it reached outside the city walls. It was a romance but still had that adorable PG rating that she just loved. She sighed as people slowly began to make their way out of their houses.

People passed back and forth giving a courteous nod and an occasional ‘Good morning’ as she passed. She would simply nod her head and mutter a quick ‘Morning’. Ignoring the obvious stares and gossiping as she made her way to the bookstore.

“Look there she goes, that girl is strange.” A pair of elderly women whispered among themselves.

“She’s never apart of any crowd.” A boy snickered to his friend.

“Probably ‘cause her head’s up on some cloud.” His friend replied back.

“No denying she’s a funny girl.” A group of men agreed with each other.

Rolling her eyes and paying them no heed, she rounded the corner and weaved her way through the crowd and into the bookstore. The familiar ring of a bell sounded when she opened the door. Inside, there was an array of bookcases lining the walls with different colored books that stacked the shelves. The room was lightly lit by the rising sun, giving off a cozy feeling to the little store.

“Ah, Amu!” A tall man yelled from the bookshop counter. He was a thin man with long auburn hair, like the leaves in the fall, in a messy pony-tail with tan skin, and light hazel eyes hidden behind his glasses.

“Good morning Nikaidou-sensei. I’ve come to return the book I borrowed.” She said with a small smile.

“Now, Amu, how many times have I told you to stop calling me sensei? I’ve stopped being your teacher ever since your 15th birthday.” He pouted. He was kind of cute when he did that, almost looking younger than his actual age, “You can call me Yuu, or if you insist on honorifics, Yuu-san.” ‘Yuu’ said matter-of-factly, still pouting.

“Ah, I’m sorry Nikai-um, Yuu-san.” Amu bowed apologetically, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

Yuu shook his head slowly, muttering, “Progress is progress.” He held his hand out as he made his way behind the counter that Amu stood in front of. Amu handed the book back and began browsing around the shelves.

“Anything new?” she asked quietly, it was a book store after all.

Yuu sighed as he put the book back in its rightful place. “Nope, afraid not. I’m not getting any more shipments until next week and I haven’t seen any peddlers in a while.” Walking over to the shelf that Amu was searching through, he smiled at her, “I’ll let you know if anything new comes in as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Yuu-san.” Amu smiled back. “Until then, I’ll borrow… this one!” she exclaimed holding up a rather old looking book. It’s cover, a dark, midnight blue with silver bindings and inscriptions. The pages seemed worn but still sturdy.

“Amu, you’ve read that at least a hundred times. Aren’t you bored of that one?” Yuu asked plucking the book out of her hand to look over the thick book. Honestly, Amu was such a fanatic reader. There probably wasn’t a single book in his shop that she hadn’t read yet.

Taking the book out of his hand and holding it to her chest, Amu pouted, “No. In fact, I’m not. You can never get tired of a good story.” She smiled at him.

“Ahh. The wise Amu has spoken again.” Yuu bowed low, smirking cutely up at her. “I’ll try and not make the same mistake again.” He winked.

“Ha ha. You’re _so_ funny.” Amu stated, sarcastically, making her way to the door.

“Going off to see Rima and Nagahiko?” Yuu smiled back at her.

“Yeah. I need to tell them that I’ll be dropping off some merchandise tomorrow morning for them. Plus I need to talk to Kukai about one of the panels on our water-wheel. Do you know where he is?”

“I’m pretty sure he’s assisting Tadase today. You can probably find them at the library.”

“Poor Kukai. Locked up in a library.” Amu shook her head.

“Yes, yes. Off you go. You’ve got stuff to do.” Yuu said, making a shooing motion with his hands. “Ah! Tell your father I said ‘hello’ and that I’ll be expecting his next novel soon!” He shouted from the store, grin still intact.

“Alright!” Amu shouted back, waving a small hand.

* * *

 

Weaving her way through the crowds of people and avoiding as much eye-contact as possible, Amu made her way to Rima’s stand first. She’d never hear the end of it if Rima found out she went to Nagi first. And knowing the short girl very well, she knew that Rima would find out. She always does, it’s like she has mind reading powers. Spotting the bright pink cloth that covered her stall from the sun, Amu made her way to the corner of the stall and waited for the petite girl to turn around. When she did, she was greeted with a bright display of colors. Rima would always dress in vivid pinks, yellows, oranges, and soft blues. Today she wore a soft pink skirt, stopping just above her ankles, a long-sleeved, blue, button-up shirt, tucked into her skirt and sleeves rolled up to her elbows and white flats. Along with that was a crisp, white apron and a white handkerchief tied neatly at the top of her head to form a small bow, her long, curly hair falling in waves of gold down her back.

“Amu!” Her eyes shined seeing her best friend. Quickly putting a few tomatoes into a small paper bag and handing it off to a waiting customer, she scurried over to Amu and asked quickly, so she could get back to work. “What are you doing here? Got any eggs for me?”

“Nope. But I should be bringing some by tomorrow. Just letting you know.” She smiled at the petite girl. “I like your skirt. It looks cute on you.”

Rima instantly blushed and puffed out her cheeks. “It’d look cute on you too if you’d girl-up.” She muttered.

“Eh? What are you talking about?” Amu sputtered out.

“I’m talking about the fact that you look like a widow mourning her husband’s death!” Rima fumed, stomping her foot a few times to make her point. “If you’d girl-up and wear something a bit more colorful you’d actually look like a member of the female population! Cute even!”

Looking down, she couldn’t help but agree with her. Amu’s attire would usually consist of a long, dark brown skirt that reached just above her ankles with a white apron tied around her slim waist, a white, long-sleeved blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows with the first few buttons left open, and a dark, moss green corset tied securely from the front with a long, black strip of thread. Her hair was split down the middle to form two braids on either side that went down past her shoulders and her bangs reaching just above her eyes. But, to Amu, clothes didn’t really matter. They were just strips of cloth sewn together in amusing patterns.

Sure, she fantasized about wearing cute clothes like Rima’s, but every time she came close to that dream becoming a reality, she flaked out. She’d keep walking like nothing happened and would try to think about the things that mattered, like her father, the house work and the farm work.

Giving her friend a half-hearted, amused smile Amu simply blew off her earlier statement, “Come one Rima, you and I both know that frills and laces aren’t my thing. Besides I don’t really have the money to buy anything like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. But I still think you should at least try.”

Stepping away from the stall, Amu made her way to her next destination. “Let bygones be bygones Rima.” She smiled warmly and waved good-bye. “I’ll see you tomorrow Rima! Bye bye!”

“Yeah, whatever! I’ll get you someday Hinamori Amu! One day, you will be cute!”

And with that, Amu walked to the stall just a few feet across the street, giving a curt nod when she bumped into someone on accident. Pulling up to the outside right corner of the stand, Amu poked her head in to look for the elegant boy. “Nagi! Hey, are you in there!” she softly yelled above the crowd.

“Coming, coming!” a pleasant voice was heard near the back. A tall boy with long, deep indigo hair that reached his waist, caramel brown eyes and a soft smile. He was wearing a long sleeved, navy blue, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into a pair of slim, black pants and a pair of dark brown boots. H had an apron tied around his waist that seemed to be stained at the bottom. “Good morning Amu. I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you and your father been?” Nagi asked, the smile never leaving.

“Good morning.” Amu let out a small chuckle. “It’s only been four days, I’m doing just fine and my father’s.. the same, I guess.” Her smile dropped for a moment but came right back up. “Anyways, I’m here to let you know that I’ll be bringing by some milk tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Nagi nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning, bright and early. His eyes shifted to the back of the stall. “I gotta go and help my mother with the grain.”

“Alright.” Amu pushed away from the counter and headed back to the main part of town. “Bye Nagi, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved softly, making her way down the street and to the library that was connected to the small university the town supported.

The library was a rather intimidating building made of brick and cement with small gargoyles littered around the surface of the building. The long windows were all polished and clean with black framework. The university held the same theme, but was rather smaller compared to its library and science wing.

Amu pressed her petite hands against the large door and pushed it open. The crisp, book-scented air washed over Amu quickly and she began to relax rather well. Unlike the bookstore, the library only carried reference and research books, but the air was still the same. Quietly perusing the sections, Amu searched for the handyman. She spotted him sitting in a chair, his brown boot clad-feet on the table, with a book covering his face. Kukai was rather tan with caramel, orange hair that frayed out into spiky wisps. It was messy but rather well-kept with a pair of silver-studded earrings in both ears. He was wearing his signature moss green vest-jacket with a pearl white button up shirt underneath tucked into his form fitting tan pants.

Slowly, Amu crept towards the sleeping boy, making sure her clumsy tendencies didn’t surface. She gently raised her hands to remove the book covering his face and placed it on the table. Sure enough, he was snoozing away. Amu took this opportunity to be a little mischievous. Keeping her eyes on the sleeping boy, she rose one hand to his nose and the other hovering over his mouth. With a mental countdown, Amu pinched his nose softly, so as to not wake him. Kukai flinched a bit, but stayed asleep and started to breathe more through his mouth.

Next, she clasped her hand over his mouth and waited for something to happen. Kukai squirmed a bit and tossed his head back and forth, trying to get rid of the offending object. His eyebrows knitted together and he slowly opened his eyes, ready to panic. But when his emerald eyes met her honey-gold ones, all he did was cringe a bit and glare at her.

Amu giggled a bit and released her hands from his nose and mouth. Kukai took a couple gasping breaths to calm his lungs. When his breathing evened out a bit he turned his head again and glared at the pinkette. “Were you trying to kill me..?” Kukai asked, rather calm and composed.

“Oh, no! I would never do such a thing. I was just waking you up.” Amu explained with a fake, cheery voice, smiling a bit for good measure. A few chuckles were threatening to escape.

Kukai, not believing it for a second, shook his head and sighed a bit. “What am I gonna do with you Amu. You’re just so out of hand.”

Amu stood strait and crossed her arms in a rather persnickety manner. ”How dare you!” She tossed her head and glared at the many shelves of reference books. “I am nothing of the sort!”

“Alright, alright.” Kukai chuckled. “Then if you weren’t trying to kill me, why are you here? I thought you hated the library.” Kukai smirked up at her.

Taking a seat next to the boy, Amu looked at him pointedly. “I don’t _hate_ it. I just don’t understand it.”

“Amu, it’s a giant building filled with books. What’s there to not understand?”

“I don’t see how anyone could enjoy them.” She muttered, blushing a bit.

“They’re not for enjoying.” Another voice chuckled. “They’re for research.” Shocked a little, Amu almost fell out of her chair as she turned to face the familiar voice.

“O-Oh. H-Hello Hotori-san.” Amu smiled up at the boy that had just walked in on their conversation. Her cheeks tinged a soft pink as he took the seat from across Amu and Kukai.

“Yo, Tadase.” Kukai grinned.

“Hello Amu-san. I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?” Tadase smiled, placing a few books onto the table.

“I-I’m fine. I’ve been sorta busy lately with the house and farm, but it’s pleasant work so it’s fine.” Amu fidgeted in her seat before looking up at him. He was a little shorter than Kukai with pale skin and blonde hair that framed his face rather nicely. He had deep pink eyes that often reminded Amu of pomegranates. Tadase was dressed in a crisp, white button up, long-sleeved shirt with a baby blue, satin, sleeveless vest that carried a pocket watch in his right pocket. He had soft sand-colored pants and dark brown boots that went to about mid-calf.

He sat back in his chair and glanced at the two, giving another one of his warm smiles. “That’s nice. So what brings you here Amu-san?”

“O-Oh. I was getting Kukai for a job I need done.” She looked at Kukai, who had stacked his book along with the ones Tadase had placed on the table. “A-Am I interrupting something?”

“Oh, no. Not at all. Kukai was just helping me find some reference books, but I’m done now so you can take him if you need him.”

Amu gave a soft smile, blushing a smidge. “T-Thank you.” She turned to Kukai to get his attention. “Can you come down to the house? One of the panels on the water-wheel is broken and you’re the only one I trust to fix it.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kukai replied. “I’ll just need to stop by the shop to get my belt and tools. How about I meet you there in 10 minutes?”

“That’s fine. You go on ahead and get your things, I’ll meet you by the gate.” She smiled.

“Sounds good. See you then!” Kukai exclaimed as he jogged out of the library, getting a subtle glare from the elderly librarian.

Giving a small wave, “He’s too loud for his own good.” Amu giggled.

“True.” Tadase chucked with her, catching Amu a bit off guard. “So, you’re still living in that small cottage on the outskirts of town?”

“Ah, y-yeah. Just me and my father. B-But we aren’t lonely or anything. A-Actually, it’s very peaceful.” Amu held her hands up, almost in a defensive manner. She didn’t know why, but whenever she was with Tadase, she got anxious and jumpy. She would stutter constantly and she could almost never make eye-contact with him. She wasn’t scared of him by any means, she doubted Tadase could do anything malicious, but whenever he was with her, she felt cautious and defensive. She wasn’t sure if she would call him a friend, more of an acquaintance than anything close to friendly.

Tadase sighed, “I don’t think you should be living out there alone, Amu.” He stepped towards her, a concerned look in his eyes. “It’s not safe. Your cottage is so close to the woods and with you so far away from the town, if anything bad happened…” His words trailed off as he looked down at the floor, his expression turning grim.

Sensing the uncomfortable mood, Amu pushed on the conversation for him. “L-Like I said, I’m not alone. I have Papa and the animals on my farm to keep me company, and w-we aren’t that far away from town, just a 5 minute walk. I-If anything happened I’m sure we could handle it ourselves.” She said with a nervous smile.

Tadase looked at her for a moment, a critical look in his eye. It was like he was judging her to make sure she was telling the truth. And in all honesty, it was starting to scare her. “W-Well, I better get going. My father’s going to need some lunch and I have to go meet Kukai.” Amu backed away still keeping her glance towards the boy. “S-So, um, bye.” She quickly bowed and scurried off towards the library doors, not waiting for his reply.

Letting the doors shut solidly behind her, Amu sighed. She was so glad to be out of that situation. The pinkette composed herself for a moment and then made her way down the road that would lead her back into the main square and then back to her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what. The next chapter comes tomorrow. Y'know why? Because I've written up to chapter 5 and just forgot to post them here. I'm sorry.


	3. Rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know last time I said I'd post the next chapter the next day, but I'm counting 2AM as the same thing.

The sun was beginning its descent along the snow-covered mountains that bordered the small village as Amu leaned against the white, picket fence that surrounded her cottage, waiting for Kukai to show up with his trusty tool belt. She stared wistfully at the sky above her, the white clouds rimmed with a soft pink that lined the orange and yellow horizon around her. Winter was fast approaching and this could be the last sunset of the season before the sky would be clouded over.

With the next season new obligations and chores would come. She’d have to move all the animals to the barn, regularly gather and chop firewood, keep the fire in the stove going throughout the nights, and keep the animals and her father warm and comfortable. Amu wouldn’t be able to visit the village regularly and would have to stalk up early, _‘I can do that tomorrow when I give Rima and Nagi my eggs and milk.’_ she thought, staring out at the village.

From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a figure down the road, quickly approaching. Immediately Amu recognized the energetic teen. “Oi! Amu! Sorry I’m late! My brothers wouldn’t stop pestering me!” Kukai shouted, waving his tool belt in the air.

“It’s fine! We’ve still got about an hour before nightfall!” She yelled back as he got closer. “You can be finished by then, right?”

“Yeah…” Kukai stood up straight, catching his breath. “No problem… I’ll be done before you know it.” She led him towards the water wheel and showed him the problem board. He looked at it carefully using his hands to press on it, the board moved loose with ease. “Looks like one of the latches keeping the board down isn’t tight enough, easy fix.” Kukai smiled down at Amu. He reached into his belt, looking for the right tool.

Amu looked over to the two story cottage. It was a good size for her and her father to live in, made of layered stone with a slanted roof covered by thinly sliced pieces of slate and black iron windows; one at the upstairs study- her father’s room, one at Amu’s room upstairs, and two in the living room and kitchen. Behind their house was a small barn where they kept the animals in the winter, one side lined with various fruit trees. The waterwheel was connected by the side of the house where there was a small window to the bathroom where the friction helped heat the bath. They were lucky to build their house by a river that ran from inside the forest and passed the outer rim of the town.

Looking up at the study she noticed that the room was unusually dark. Her father would often use that room to write and would constantly use a lantern to give light, even in the daytime. He liked working with the lanterns flame close to him. At first Amu thought it to be a little weird but she slowly got used to it. _‘He must have gotten up to get something to eat.’_

Leaving Kukai for a moment, Amu entered her house and went towards the kitchen. _‘Not here..’_ She looked around the living room and near the stairs but couldn’t find him. _’Where could he be..?’_ Amu snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Kukai out of the living room window heading for the door. She hurried over to the kitchen and picked up a small woven basket of peaches with a cloth covering them.

Opening the door and meeting Kukai out on the porch she smiled to him, “Thanks Kukai, I really appreciate it.” Holding the basket up to him, she fidgeted a little as she eyed it. “I know this isn’t a proper payment, but please accept these as gratitude. I picked them yesterday so they should still be pretty sweet.”

Taking the basket form her hands, Kukai smiled. “Thanks Amu, and this is more than enough. I’m sure my brothers will like this, they’re getting a little tired of potatoes and carrots.” He laughed, good-naturedly.

Amu giggled along. “Well, tell them I said ‘hello’. And if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make dinner for my father and me.” Amu bowed and turned to go back through her front door.

Kukai bowed back and turned to head back down the road and back to the town.

Watching his shadow disappear beyond the hill, Amu made her way back into the living room. “Papa!” she called. “Papa! Where are you?” Climbing the stairs she searched the halls. All the doors were closed except for her fathers, which was opened only the slightest. She knocked a couple of times and then called out, “Papa. Are you in there?” When she didn’t get a reply, Amu opened the door slowly. First looking towards the single bed pushed up in the far right corner of the room, neatly made up with no hint to any use in the past week. Next she looked at the large mahogany desk that sat in front of the window, covered in various pieces of paper scribbled with writing that looked like chicken-scratch rather than hand-writing. When she didn’t find him in the chair in front of it she looked towards the book case that lined the left side of the room, where she saw her father crouched down near the right side of the shelf. His hands skimmed over the spines of various books, muttering something under his breath.

When his hand stopped at a faded red book with gold-threaded inscriptions, _“Myths of the Northern Forest”_ , his eyes light up as he quickly grasped the book and made his way back to his desk. His clothes were wrinkled and Amu noticed the ink stains on his white button-up shirt and tan vest. His brown pants were saved from any stains but seemed a little worn. His short hair was greased up as usual and she could see the beginnings of a beard to appear on his tired face.

Realizing that she had been silent for too long, Amu took a few steps into his room and gently called out to him. “Papa? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” When she didn’t receive an answer she smiled slowly to herself and retreated to the door. “I’ll have dinner done in a bit so I’ll be up in few minutes to give it to you.” Again, no answer. She crept out of the room and quietly closed the door.

Pausing for a moment she clutched the door knob and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to compose herself. Sometimes when her father acted like this she wanted to scream and rant in frustration. Tell him off for ignoring his only living family left, but that wouldn’t help him get better. So she silently took it and descended the stairs to begin her cooking.

* * *

 

The sun was slow to rise and the air was chilly as Amu made her way into town with her basket of eggs and a couple bottles of milk. Seeing some of the vendors start to raise their tents and getting ready for customers, she made her way to Rima’s tent. She went around back and peeked her head inside. “Excuse me? It’s Amu. I brought some eggs.” She could barely finish her sentence when she was tackled to the ground by a sniffling Rima. Her basket of eggs and milk fell to the floor, thankfully unharmed.

“Thank the Holy Spirits you’re okay!” She yelled as she wrapped her arms around her, shaking a bit.

“R-Rima? Are you okay? W-What’s wrong?” Amu sat up a little confused.

“What do you mean what’s wrong? Don’t you know what happened last night?” Rima shouted, there were still a few tears in her eyes.

“Um, no?” Amu sweat-dropped, giving a fake smile.

“A boy went missing last night! He went out into the Northern Forrest to chase a run-away sheep and never came back! They searched for hours but couldn’t find him!” She hugged Amu again. “My parents wouldn’t let me go and check to see if you were alright. I was so scared.”

Amu hugged her petite friend back and stroked her back. “Well, as you can see, I’m alright.” They stayed like that for a while till Rima pulled back and wiped her face. “Do they have any idea what happened?”

Rima sniffed a couple more times before speaking, “They think it was the Beast of the Northern Forest.”

“The what?” Amu asked, getting more confused.

“The Beast of the Northern Forest.” Rima said again. “You know the legend don’t you?” All Rima got was a blank stare. “Oh, that’s right. You didn’t arrive in the village till a few years ago.” Amu nodded, wanting to hear about the legend. “Well when I was three, a man had gone into the Northern Forest, he was gone for several hours. When we were about to send out a search party, he came running out of the forest screaming about a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Yeah. He described it as an enormous wolf with paws the size of watermelons and eyes as dark and blue as the deepest depths of the ocean. He went on for hours about how it had attacked him with a pack of normal wolves and how he ran as fast he could to get away from them.”

“Wow. Sounds terrifying.” Amu gulped.

“Yeah. You came into the town 5 years later so I doubt you would have heard anything about it.”

“I guess not.” Amu gave a half-hearted smile.

“Well, I’d better get off you and get your money for the eggs.” Rima laughed.

Amu laughed along. “Yeah, that’d be nice.” Rima sat up from Amu’s lap and ran over to the cash regester. “I’ll put the basket on the counter!”

Grabbing 5 silver pieces and 7 copper pieces, Rima hurried back to Amu. “Thanks again for your help.” She hand Amu the mone and smiled back.

“No problem.” Amu pocketed the money and went to pick up her bottles of milk. “I’ll see you later!”

“Bye Amu! Don’t get eaten by the Beast!”

“I’ll try not to!” Amu went across the street and walked along till she found Nagi’s shop. She greeted Nagi’s mother at the back and called for him. “Nagi! I have your milk!”

He came out a few minutes later with some flower across his cheek. “Ah! Thanks Amu. I’ll get your money.”

“Thanks.” She waited by the back and watched him pick up 6 silver pieces.

Nagi walked back and smiled at her. “Here you go. Have you been to Rima’s?” Placing the money with the money she got from Rima, Amu nodded her head.

“She tackled me to the ground and sobbed into my neck.” She smiled.

“Well, she’s just glad her best friend is alright.” He smiled back. “And so am I.” He opened his arms wide and motioned with his hands.

Amu laughed a bit and got closer. “Worry-wart.” She mumbled and he enveloped her in a big hug.

Nagi chuckled and let go. “Whatever weirdo.” Amu turned back and said her goodbyes as Nagi went back to work.

* * *

 

The town was quiet today. There was more whispering than before and more cautious glances going around. Amu stocked up on salmon, salt, vegetables, and bread. She made it home quite early and decided to read for a few hours before she started dinner. The story was amazing, even if she had already read it a dozen times, and it still brought tears to her eyes. Wiping her face, Amu looked towards the clock. ‘ _6:00pm. I’d better get to dinner and then head in early for the night.’_

Amu finished dinner quickly, roasted ham with mashed potatoes and green-beans. She walked up the stairs to her father’s study and knocked once. When she didn’t get an answer, Amu opened the door to find her father leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. Amu cleared the desk and placed the tray in front of him, she sat on the chair beside him and watched her father. Hoping for a reaction she started to talk to him.

“Do you wanna hear something cool?” No response. “In the town, there was a boy that went missing.” His right hand twitched and his eyes shifted a bit. “Yeah, Rima said that it was a beast.” His head lolled to face her, but his eyes looked past her. “She told me about the legend. It’s said to be huge with big paws and spooky eyes.” This time he looked back to the ceiling. “They called it the Beast of the Northern Forest.” Amu finished, a little dejected.

This time, Tsumugu sat up strait in his chair and whispered, “The Northern Forest..” He trailed off and stared out the window.

Amu’s eyes widened. This was the biggest reaction she’d gotten out of him when she talked to him since he went into his twisted depression. “Y-Yeah. Do you know something about it, Papa?” She smiled.

Tsumugu’s eyes widened again and he started to say something but slowly shut his mouth and sat back in his chair. Now looking at his dinner he started to eat and ignore her question. Amu sighed and got up off his bed and made her way to her bed to go to bed.

_‘That was a bust.’_ Amu thought as she climbed into her bed. _‘So close. He finally talked back to me, finally noticed me.’_ She sobbed a bit before falling asleep.

* * *

 

Amu awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a door opening and shutting. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around her room. _‘Nothing out of the ordinary.’_ Lighting the lamp at her bedside table she opened the door and looked around the hallway. The lights were off in both the study and her father’s room. _‘Is he sleeping?’_ Amu opened the door to the study first. The room was empty. The desk was clear of any books or papers and the tray she brought in with his food was eaten and placed on his chair. _‘That’s… strange.’_  Amu thought. She closed the door and went to her father’s room. Same as the study, empty.

Amu began to panic as she searched the house but couldn’t find him anywhere. _‘Where is he?!’_ She looked out in the back by the barn and garden. The snow was coming down hard now and she had to pick up a heavy coat just to keep from freezing to death. She went back inside and towards the front door. _‘His boots are gone.’_ Amu opened the door and found foot prints that were beginning to disappear. Following their path with her eyes, they headed in the direction of the Northern Forest.

“No..” Amu whispered. “He didn’t… Did he?” Amu started to pace the front porch and then stopped. “It’s because I told him that story..” Amu gasped. Pulling on her boots and grabbing the lantern Amu ran towards town.

She needed help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might post the next one in... 12 hours, but we'll see how that goes. I'm tired so I'm going to bed, night y'all.


End file.
